Tell us a story

642 Things To Write About ~ by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, 2011

This collection of 642 outrageous and witty writing prompts will get the creative juices flowing in no time.  From crafting your own obituary [I noticed just now that this is the very LAST prompt in the book] to penning an ode to an onion, each page of this playful journal invites inspiration and provides plenty of space to write.  Brimming with entertaining exercises from the literary minds of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, this is the ultimate gift for scribes of every stripe.

I wrote about this book four-and-a-half years ago, in March 2017.  As I glanced over at a bookshelf this morning, something prompted me to pull out this book.  Why was it calling me?  I have no idea, but I opened it to random pages and landed on this writing prompt:

"A lie you told and got away with"

Oh, boy, did that "prompt" a memory that made me grin!  First, let me tell you I have always loved reading and read lots of books outside of school assignments.  MANY books.  So when my 8th grade English teacher assigned us to write a book review, my only problem was usually which book to write about.  But that day, I had a brainstorm and wondered if I could write about a book I totally made up.  I think the assignment was homework, and we probably had several days to do it, with time to read and ponder a book.

So I "read" my non-existent book and came up with a title, an author's name, a plot (that I no longer remember) with characters I created (birthed?) in my own imagination.  Then I wrote a "book review" of that book — and turned it in!  I held my breath (figuratively speaking) until the teacher returned our papers, and ... and ... and I got an A on my book review!  Yay!

No, not A+ but an A.  I probably did more work and spent more time on making up the story out of whole cloth than if I had simply reported on one of the several books I had recently read.  But it was fun, and I learned something (maybe just that I have a very active imagination), and I made my usual good grade.  And I made a memory that I'm sharing with you nearly 70 years later.

Idiom of the Day

"Out of whole cloth" is an idiom that means "with no basis in fact or reality."  Example:  The novel I wrote about was created out of whole cloth, plot and all.

Ball walker vs. heel walker

I learned about the difference between a ball walker and a heel walker four years ago on Facebook, and I've found the video on YouTube to share on my blog with you.  You can also view the video here.  (Click on the links.)

Many decades ago, my dad taught me to walk this way (on the balls of my feet) when I want to be especially quiet.  "Like an Indian," he said, though that is no longer PC (politically correct).  Try it, and see for yourself.  I do it these days when I don't want Clawdia to hear me moving through our apartment and come running to ask for food or a walk in the hall.  I don't remember ever telling my own children about this way of walking, though.

Something punny

I just spent $300 on a limousine and discovered that the fee does not include a driver.  I can't believe I've spent all that money and have nothing to chauffeur it.  (I found the words and photo online, separately, so this isn't original to me.)

Native cultures

Native cultures are not interchangeable.  Every single Native culture is distinct and unique, though many share similarities, so lumping them together doesn't work.  While many North American cultures have some of the same practices, the vast majority are by no means common to them all.

Kokopelli is not "Native American" — he's Hopi.

Totem poles are not "Native American" — they were made by tribes of the Northwest Coastal region.

Dreamcatchers are not "Native American" — they came from the Ojibwe.

War bonnets are not "Native American" — they came from the tribes on the Plains.

I have no idea if cedar flutes are used by any other tribes, but the one I bought in Cherokee, North Carolina, is from one specific group.  Can you figure out which tribe?  Yes, the Cherokees.  Full disclosure — I added the beaded feathers to the felt bag that I keep it in.

Kokopelli is a fertility god and is said to be playing a flute, but his flute seems flared at the bottom.  Mine is not.

Sunday Salon

What's wrong with this poster?  I'll tell you what I see wrong in a comment, but I'd like you to think about it first.  What do you notice?

Middle School English

My friend Donna, who died in July, taught middle school English.  As I helped her sister clean out Donna's apartment, I saw that she had a copy of a book she had recommended to me in the 1990s, back when we first became friends.  And there was also a teacher guide for the YA novel, published in 2000.  Her sister let me have both books, and I'll probably read (and re-read) those soon.  When I first read the novel, it was long before blogging, so I don't know what I rated it.  But I do know I was very impressed by the book and wrote about it in 2010 when I mentioned this book and posted this photo of Avi, saying that Donna and I had met him.

Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel ~ by Avi, 1991, YA fiction, 213 pages

In this thought-provoking examination of freedom, patriotism, and respect, ninth grader Philip Malloy is kept from joining the track team by his failing grades in English class.  Convinced that the teacher just doesn't like him, Philip concocts a plan to get transferred out of her class.  Breaking the school's policy of silence during the national anthem, he hums along, and ends up in a crisis at the center of the nation's attention.

Teacher Guide ~ by Phyllis A. Green, 2000, for grades 7-8, 36 pages

Each Teacher Guide includes a story summary, prereading activities, vocabulary exercises, comprehension strategies, discussion questions, critical thinking challenges, literary analysis questions and activities, assessment tools, graphic organizers, writing ideas, art ideas, and more (it says, adding an exclamation mark).

Idiom on my mind

bee in her bonnet = to keep talking about something again and again because you think it is very important.  Example:  "She never stops talking about healthy eating; she has a bee in her bonnet about it."  Speaking of bees:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts the Sunday Salon, where we talk about our lives, our books, and what we have been reading.

Beginning ~ with baseball bat in hand

Introduction

"I stood in the darkness of my living room, my knuckles white my fingers tense around the sticky rubber handle of my Little League baseball bat, staring out the window into the night, trying desperately to protect my wife and newborn daughter from a madman I had never met.  Any self-awareness about how this looked, or about what I might actually do if the madman appeared, had been washed away by the fear I was experiencing."

Chapter One

"The sidewalks of New York City are superhighways of anonymity.  During the day, millions of intent pedestrians stride along the pavement, their faces like masks that betray nothing."

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It ~ by Ethan Kross, 2021, self-help, 243 pages

Kross explains how silent conversations we have with ourselves shape our lives, work, and relationships.  He warns that giving in to negative and disorienting self-talk — what he calls "chatter" — can tank our health, sink our moods, strain our social connections, and cause us to fold under pressure.  The good news is that we’re already equipped with the tools we need to make our inner voice work in our favor.

I wrote about this book when I first got it (click here), and now I am finally reading it.  So far, so good.  It was highly recommended by a friend.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Let's share our pet peeves

This Bingo card shows two dozen "pet peeves" somebody came up with, but what exactly is a pet peeve?  It's something that someone finds especially annoying.  For example, a friend said, "One of my biggest pet peeves is poor customer service."  Another friend said hers is people who use "it's" when they should write "its."  (Do you know when to use each of these?)  And lots of folks on our neighborhood listserv would say their pet peeve is people who don't pick up after their dogs.  Please share one or two of your pet peeves in the comments.